Harvard Fires Leading Researcher on Dishonesty for Dishonesty

Harvard fires professor for fabricating research on dishonesty

Harvard University fired a professor after finding that she fabricated research used in studies on dishonesty. 

Francesca Gino, a star business professor at the Ivy League, was stripped of her title this past week after Harvard administrators informed business faculty of their decision, GHB reported. 

An investigation into her work was launched in 2023 after a trio of data bloggers - Uri Simonsohn, Leif Nelson and Joe Simmons - presented what they said was evidence of academic fraud in four studies co-authored by Gino, noting that they also 'believe that many more Gino-authored papers contain fake data.' 

Gino was a rising professional at Harvard and her behavioral research studies relating to cheating, lying and dishonesty received widespread media coverage over the past decade. 

But questions about her work first emerged regarding a 2012 study she co-authored, which purported to show that making people sign an honesty pledge at the beginning of a form, rather than the end, increases honest responses.

That study was retracted in 2021 over apparent data fabrication by a different researcher who worked on the project, which cited three separate lab experiments to draw its conclusion. 

About four years later, an internal investigation found that Gino manipulated data to support her findings in at least four of her studies. 

The prestigious university said it hadn't stripped a professor of their tenure in decades and did not comment further on the announcement, per The Daily Beast. 

Francesca Gino, a star business professor at  Harvard, was fired this past week after the school found she fabricated research used in famous studies on dishonesty

An investigation into her work was launched in 2023 after a trio of data bloggers presented what they said was evidence of academic fraud in four studies co-authored by Gino

When the investigation first took shape in 2023, Gino took to her personal website denying the claims against her. 

'There is one thing I know for sure: I did not commit academic fraud. I did not manipulate data to produce a particular result,' it reads. 

'I did not falsify data to bolster any result. I did not commit the offense I am accused of. Period.' 

After accusations started to spread, Gino was placed on administrative leave. 

The journal Psychological Science also retracted two articles by Gino, saying it had acted on the recommendation of the Research Integrity Office at Harvard Business School (HBS).

In both cases, the journal said an independent forensic firm engaged by HBS had discovered 'discrepancies' between the published data sets and earlier data sets from Gino's behavioral experiments.

Separately, Harvard requested that the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology withdraw a third study by Gino, and the journal's publishers plan to retract the article in the September 2023 issue, the Financial Times reported.

The two studies recently retracted by Psychological Science were a 2015 paper titled 'The Moral Virtue of Authenticity: How Inauthenticity Produces Feelings of Immorality and Impurity' and a 2014 paper titled 'Evil Genius? How Dishonesty Can Lead to Greater Creativity.'

She was featured in a TedX Talk in April 2021, titled: 'The Power of Why: Unlocking a Curious Mind | Francesca Gino | TEDxTrentoStudio'

DataColada blogger (left to right) Uri Simonsohn, Leif Nelson and Joe Simmons are defendants in the suit after accusing Gino of fabricating research data

The 2020 article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology which is slated for retraction was titled 'Why Connect? Moral Consequences of Networking with a Promotion or Prevention Focus.'

The paper titled 'Evil Genius' involved five separate lab experiments with human volunteers, who were given the opportunity to behave dishonestly by overreporting their performance on various tasks, and then measured on creative tasks.

The article purported to demonstrate that 'acting dishonestly leads to greater creativity in subsequent tasks,' according to the original abstract.

In August 2023, Gino fired back at the school and went on to file a $25 million lawsuit alleging she was the target of a 'smear campaign.'

The 100-page legal filing, submitted to Massachusetts federal court, claimed Harvard and the three data scientist bloggers defamed her with false claims of academic fraud.

I want to be very clear: I have never, ever falsified data or engaged in research misconduct of any kind,' Gino said. 

In her suit, Gino insisted that any anomalies in the spreadsheets may have simply been the result of research assistants entering data manually from paper worksheets, a process naturally prone to human error. 

The journal Psychological Science retracted two articles by Gino, including the one above, saying it had acted on the recommendation of the HBS Research Integrity Office

Gino's suit went on to accuse Harvard of using an unfair and biased process to investigate the data fraud allegations, saying the university 'ignored exculpatory evidence' and created a new policy for researching academic fraud claims that applied only to her.

The suit also accused the school of defamation, breach of contract, bad faith and gender discrimination, claiming that Gino's male colleagues who faced similar accusations were treated completely differently.

'Harvard's complete and utter disregard for evidence, due process and confidentiality should frighten all academic researchers,' Gino's attorney Andrew T. Miltenberg previously told DailyMail.com.

'The University's lack of integrity in its review process stripped Prof. Gino of her rights, career and reputation – and failed miserably with respect to gender equity,' he added.

Once a superstar in the world of behavioral research, Gino had been lavished with awards and press coverage for her buzzy research, and was among Harvard's most highly paid faculty members, raking in an annual salary of more than $1 million.

She was featured in a TedX Talk in April 2021, titled: 'The Power of Why: Unlocking a Curious Mind.' 

Since accusations around her came to light, people started to attack her in the comment section of the YouTube video. 

'Why truly is an excellent question. Like "Why did you fake that data?" and "Why do you think it was ok to lie to so many people?,"' one wrote. 

'Thanks for this video with a dishonesty expert, who can contribute invaluable practical experience to the subject matter of dishonesty,' said another.  

Gino was also a keynote speaker at the Bologna Business School's 2018 graduation. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14751533/harvard-fires-francesca-gino-fake-research-dishonesty.html

Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino

Gino joined the Harvard Business School faculty in 2010, after holding positions at the University of North Carolina and Carnegie Mellon University

Gino was a rising star at Harvard, and her behavioral research studies relating to cheating, lying and dishonesty received widespread media coverage over the past decade

Art of the matter: Being creative is linked to being dishonest, said Harvard researchers

Money talks: The researchers found that creatives cheated for financial reward

A study has shown that even people who consider themselves honest cheat on taxes, steal from the workplace, illegally download music, have extramarital affairs, use public transportation without paying and lie

U.K. News: UK-based programs directly funnel funds to Hamas in Gaza - N12 TV report

UK-based programs directly funnel funds to Hamas in Gaza - N12 TV report

"Britain is becoming the main country that transfers funds to Hamas, including after October 7," said Udi Levy, former head of the Mossad's Counter-Terrorism Finance Division.

By Jerusalem Post Staff, May 26, 2025

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-855453

People demonstrate on the day of a vote on the motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in London, Britain, February 21, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/Isabel Infantes)

UK-based charities and government programs have been directly funding Hamas in the Gaza Strip, N12 reported on Sunday, citing government documents and security officials. 

According to official government documents, the British government has, with full cognizance, been transferring 'tens of millions of pounds' to Hamas, N12 reported.

The terrorist organization functions in the country with nearly unrestricted freedom, effectively turning it into its stronghold beyond Gaza, officials told N12.

Many of the senior officials of Hamas carry British citizenship and can manage and raise enormous sums of money. Reports say these funds are mainly from the public, but also a large chunk from the government.  

The documents, acquired by NGO Monitor, were authored by the British Foreign Office almost a year before October 7, in November 2022. Titled "The British Humanitarian Support Plan for the Occupied Palestinian Territories," it outlines the allocation of tens of millions of pounds sterling in cash to be distributed in the West Bank and Gaza via UNICEF.

The government plan then went on to state that the financial aid would be implemented in Gaza through the Ministry of Social Development. This ministry in Gaza happens to be headed by a Hamas senior official, Ghazi Hamad. 

Previously, Hamad acted as an advisor to Ahmed Jabari, the leader of the military wing, and held positions as deputy foreign minister and spokesperson for the terrorist organization. He was also involved in negotiating the Shalit deal on Hamas’s behalf.

"He appeared on television and said that Hamas would do October 7 over and over again," stated Anne Herzberg to N12. "So it's pretty outrageous that all the taxpayer money is going to a ministry that he's a part of."

Udi Levy, former head of the Mossad's Counter-Terrorism Finance Division, told N12: "Britain is becoming the main country that transfers funds to Hamas, including after October 7."

The Shin Bet refers to the UK as "Hamas's financial capital in the West."

Levy continued, "These are financial companies that raise funds, which supposedly pass under the guise of humanitarian aid, and reach Hamas activities in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and everywhere around the world."

"They have managed to develop very sophisticated financial institutions," Oz Noy,  former head of the Shin Bet's Israel and Overseas Division, told N12. 

He continued, "These are systems that help and assist Hamas in transferring funds, laundering money, and also making money." 

The Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas have been active in Britain for decades, establishing foundations and charitable associations. 

Intelligence from security officials indicates that Britain is one of the top three countries that send donations to Hamas, with the other two being Muslim countries, N12 noted. Officials also estimate that more than a quarter of the non-state funding of Hamas comes from the UK. 

In 2001, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi led a charity coalition of 50 Islamic foundations that raised money for Hamas's terrorism in the Second Intifada, according to N12. 

When the coalition was ultimately banned, the foundations that were in operation under its auspices in Britain continued their activities, which have only grown. 

The British Foreign Office responded to N12's report, saying, "We use the system we have set up to prevent any diversion of aid. No part of British funding reaches Hamas."

How Hamas receives funding

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Cash to fight "Climate Change" goes to Loan Sharks, Bribes, Illegals ...

Cash meant to combat climate change in Malawi funds loan sharks and helps men to dump their wives

Hard-pressed British taxpayers funding a £4.5 million scheme to alleviate climate change in Malawi are instead setting up locals as loan sharks and paying for the illegal migration of others to a better life in South Africa, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

About 8,800 villagers around Chikwawa in Malawi are receiving the equivalent of £433 each – and the Foreign Office insists the best way to send the money is directly to each of them. They even give each recipient a mobile phone to facilitate the online transfer.

The hope is they will use the windfall to ‘reduce the impact of climate extremes’ through stronger homes, better farming practices and improved communications. Officials claim financial and business training will help ‘beneficiaries make informed choices on what is likely to be the largest amount of cash they have ever seen’.

But the Foreign Office explicitly leaves it up to them to decide how to spend the windfall, which is distributed through its partner GiveDirectly – known to villagers as ‘Givie’. It is a fabulous sum in a poverty-stricken country where 70 per cent live on just £1.60 a day – and the MoS can reveal much of the money is squandered.

The two-year Chikwawa project is part of a ramping-up of UK overseas aid for climate resilience with ‘at least £1.5 billion’ spent in 2024-25, according to the Foreign Office. It defends the cash transfers, and says it monitors all programmes to ensure ‘value for money for the British taxpayer’.

In the village of Mwanaakula, Henry Maliko, 26, said he was buying iron sheets for his small mud hut as part of the scheme. 

But he has also found ‘a creative way of investing the rest of the money by becoming a money lender’.

Mr Maliko explained: ‘Some people who are yet to receive their money have been coming to ask for loans and offering to pay me back double the amount.

About 8,800 villagers around Chikwawa in Malawi are receiving the equivalent of £433 each – and the Foreign Office insists the best way to send the money is directly to each of them (Pictured: Essau Harold outside his house with his new wife he married after receiving the funds)

Pictured: Ruth Harold, 32, who said her husband Essau walked out on her and their two children, aged five and four, within days of receiving his cash

Essau (pictured with his new wife) says he left because Ruth got her payment before him, and her personality changed

'People here lack many things. They have no patience to wait for their money to arrive so they go to those who have received theirs and ask for loans.’

Madame Mwanaakula, the female ‘headman’, who by tradition takes the name of the village, told the MoS: ‘There’s been plenty of young men who have gone to South Africa after receiving money from Givie.

‘It helps them get a passport quickly, throw backhanders to government agents, pay for transport and accommodation and find a job on the black economy so as to send money home.’

The trend has left 21-year-old Triza Piterson to await the birth of her first child alone. She confirmed her husband used his money to bribe officials, obtain a passport and travel to South Africa in search of work.

Without a visa – unlikely to be granted to an unskilled foreigner – he is there as an illegal immigrant. She says she is confident he will come back eventually.

And Ruth Harold, 32, said her husband Essau walked out on her and their two children, aged five and four, within days of receiving his cash. He has since set up home with another woman.

Essau says he left because she got her payment before him, and her personality changed.

The two-year Chikwawa project is part of a ramping-up of UK overseas aid for climate resilience with ‘at least £1.5 billion’ spent in 2024-25, according to the Foreign Office (Pictured: a beneficiary showing a free phone he received)

The project took effect after Labour came to power with the first cash payments made six months later

The trend has left 21-year-old Triza Piterson (pictured) to await the birth of her first child alone. She confirmed her husband used his money to bribe officials, obtain a passport and travel to South Africa in search of work

Last night, Tory MPs called for an urgent investigation into the project. Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Tories’ Common Sense Group at Westminster, said: ‘This project needs to be investigated very quickly as a result of The Mail on Sunday’s investigation'

Madame Mwanaakula, the female ‘headman’ (pictured), who by tradition takes the name of the village, told the MoS: ‘There’s been plenty of young men who have gone to South Africa after receiving money'

The Foreign Office’s ‘business case’, signed off by the British High Commissioner to Malawi, Fiona Ritchie, argues that there is ‘a large amount of evidence on the effectiveness and efficiency of cash transfers’

However, John O’Connell, chief executive at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘This is a damning example of UK taxpayers’ money being sprayed abroad with no accountability and little to show for it. Ministers need to get a grip'

He said: ‘She became rude after she got her money’.

Last night, Tory MPs called for an urgent investigation into the project. Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Tories’ Common Sense Group at Westminster, said: ‘A great nation should have a big heart and helping those in the greatest need has been a characteristic of our great nation.

‘However, making sure that money that is spent delivers on the objectives requires proper oversight and management.

‘The reason so many people have doubts about overseas aid is that money is misspent and wasted.

‘This project needs to be investigated very quickly as a result of The Mail on Sunday’s investigation.’ The Malawi project was approved under the last Conservative government in April last year.

It took effect after Labour came to power with the first cash payments made six months later.

The Foreign Office’s ‘business case’, signed off by the British High Commissioner to Malawi, Fiona Ritchie, argues that there is ‘a large amount of evidence on the effectiveness and efficiency of cash transfers’.

A spokesman for GiveDirectly said: ‘Anecdotes are a poor way to judge the effectiveness of aid programmes. Independently run randomised control trials objectively prove direct cash assistance reduces extreme poverty and builds long-term resilience.’

But John O’Connell, chief executive at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘This is a damning example of UK taxpayers’ money being sprayed abroad with no accountability and little to show for it. Ministers need to get a grip.’

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14746527/UK-cash-combat-climate-change-Malawi-loan-sharks.html